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NWR Interactive => TalkBack => Topic started by: LassePalle on December 24, 2003, 10:57:57 PM

Title: SSX 3 Review
Post by: LassePalle on December 24, 2003, 10:57:57 PM
Looking for a rival to 1080 Avalanche? You've found it.

Review by Lasse Pallesen

You can't help but feel a little overwhelmed at first. Even though
there is only one mountain in the entire game, it's absolutely huge,
consisting of three peaks each with multiple routes. You see
yourself transported to the different points on the mountain by
means of carriages, air-planes, or choppers. The sense of scope
is truly amazing, not only in terms of the graphical presentation of
the mountain but also in terms of the sheer amount of stuff to
partake in. Upon selecting the main mode, Conquer the Mountain,
you're confronted with a ridiculous number of play modes. Apart
from championship races where you compete against five other
boarders, there are head-to-head matches, time trials, and trick
attack modes as well as dozens of small quick-challenges, which
include jumping through rings, racing into moving targets, or
collecting hidden money bundles that are scattered around.
Whenever you complete a task, you're awarded with money which
can be spent on new outfits and equipment or on improving your
character's abilities. It's a system similar to the one found in
another EA game, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003, and it works great,
providing tons of replay value.

What also feel overwhelming in the beginning are the controls - or
rather the challenge of mastering them. They're complex because
all control sticks and buttons are used, many of which must be
activated simultaneously and even have multiple functions
depending on the situation. Thus, whilst on the ground L and R act
as punch buttons, allowing you to swiftly knock over an opponent,
but in the air they let you do a grab. The trick system is made even
more complicated by applying spin moves to these grabs, which is done
with the control pad, and by tweaking your board, which is done by
pressing B. The number of trick combinations is almost endless.
What's more, you can take advantage of nearly every object in the
levels. You can use fallen trees and benches to grind on or perform a
handplant on the top of a billboard. Successfully completing tricks fills
up your adrenaline meter, so you can gain speed-boosts or try out
some amazing Über-Tricks. Requiring a lot of air time to pull off, these
look truly extraordinary and increase your score immensely. There are
even Super-Über-Tricks, which, unbelievably, look even more insane.

Visually, SSX 3 is more than respectable. The snow effects look
very convincing and the draw distance is impressive - as is the
attention to detail. Trees sway in the wind, airplanes fly over your
head, and trains zoom by near the foot of the mountain.  Special
effects don't look completely believable. When rock boulders crash
down in front of you, they appear more like Lego bricks being
dropped. Likewise, when huge trees fall victim to an avalanche,
they tip over rather unrealistically, because they lack any real
sense of weight. The corresponding sound effects in these
situations do little to accentuate the sense of energy and power
that would underlie such events in real life.

Most of the time, the sound effects - supported by both Dolby Pro
Logic 2 and THX - are very appropriate. A radio station, hilariously
called EA Radio Big, is heard in the background, playing a large
variety of tracks from famous bands such as Finger Eleven, Fatboy
Slim, Black Eyed Peas, and Red Hot Chilli Peppers. The music fits
the action very well. Enter a gloomy cave and it will become muted
to reflect the eerie mood. Pull off a spectacular jump, and the
music volume increases for a few seconds as your points rack up.

Freedom has obviously been a key word for EA when developing
SSX 3. The open courses with multiple routes as well as the
sophisticated trick system reflect this philosophy. At times, though,
you do feel restricted. It's not uncommon to locate what looks like
a hidden route and then take it, happily believing that you've
discovered some sort of shortcut, only to get the message "Off
Limits" and then automatically be placed on the "correct" path
again. In particular, this happens a lot when searching for hidden
items, where exploring every nook and cranny is necessary. It's an
irritating little flaw that limits the otherwise free-roaming nature of
the game.  

Still, SSX 3 is a fantastic game that improves on its predecessor in
every way. Therefore, instead of comparing it to SSX Tricky, it's
more relevant to see how it stacks up against its currently biggest
rival: 1080 Avalanche. First of all, they are two quite different
games, so deciding which one to buy largely boils down to
personal taste. 1080 focuses more on pure racing, and,
consequently, it's faster and more immediately thrilling, especially
for people craving a quick adrenaline boost. SSX 3, on the other
hand, has more challenging controls, which make the whole trick
system far superior. The levels are also designed with this aspect
in mind. There are more ramps and rails in SSX 3. You get the
impression that you're participating in a real, arranged competition
with all the accompanying billboards, signposts, cheering crowds,
and fireworks. This is opposed to 1080 where the environments
feel more naturalistic, and there's a greater emphasis on just
surviving the forces of nature that present themselves on a
mountain. From a pure technical standpoint, they match each
other well. Both are based on solid graphics engines and include
outstanding soundtracks. Where EA's effort clearly excels, though,
is in the lastability category. Even though the game only supports
two-player simultaneous gameplay, there are so many modes
and so much to do and see that it feels much bigger in scope. It's
going to take months to unlock everything - something 1080 can't
brag about. And mainly for this reason I think SSX 3 comes out on
top. It's a very close race, though.

Pros:

Cons:

Graphics: 8.5
Runs smoothly and boasts a high level of detail. The view when
you're airborne is often breathtaking thanks to an impressive draw
distance. Special effects look a little off.

Sound: 8.5
THX certified and supported by Pro Logic 2 surround sound, SSX 3
is an aural delight. There's an expansive soundtrack, neatly
presented by a local radio host, as well as some nice, appropriate
sound effects.  

Control: 9.0
The controls are hard to get to grips with at first, but feel intuitive
after some experience. Performing tricks is really challenging and
satisfying, requiring multiple button presses. Steering is
responsive, and your character reacts to even the slightest tilt of
the control stick.

Gameplay: 8.5
Inspiring level design, a refined trick system and lots of variation in
game modes constitute the heart of the game. It could be a little bit
faster.

Lastability: 9.5
One huge mountain, three peaks, dozens of challenges, and
hundreds of unlockables will keep you busy for a long time. Only
the lack of a four-player mode keeps the game from getting a
perfect score in this category.  

Final Score (Not an average): 9.0
Arguably, the best snowboarding game ever made, and, certainly,
the biggest.  
Title: RE:SSX 3 Review
Post by: Jonnyboy117 on December 25, 2003, 01:05:52 PM
After all the argument and discussion over Lasse's 1080: Avalanche review, does no one have anything to say about this one?  I was expecting more fireworks.
Title: RE: SSX 3 Review
Post by: Bloodworth on December 26, 2003, 07:17:22 PM
Well, the big whiner got himself banned.   Not sure about the others.